These paleo shrimp burgers are a delicious and fun alternative to regular burgers, and are especially tasty on a sweet potato “bun”with lemon caper relish.

Three years ago Ben and I went to Jamaica and fell in love with the island’s food, weather, and laid-back attitude. (You can read about our trip here and here–but be warned that there are some bready photos, though, since that was before I discovered paleo. There are also crocodiles and caves!) One of the dishes I really enjoyed was a conch burger. It’s a seafood burger made with the succulent meat from conchs, which are giant marine snails. They’re hard to come by here in Chattanooga and I wasn’t sure how many of you would be excited about a snail burger, so I made shrimp burgers instead.

I’ve actually been working on this recipe on and off for over a year. First I had to perfect the burgers themselves. While all my attempts were delicious, I made multiple versions last year that completely fell apart when I tried to flip them. I ended up serving Ben and myself what was basically a pile of shrimp hash. It tasted so good that I almost leaned into it and changed the whole concept of the recipe, but in the end I really had my heart set on these being burgers, so I persevered.

I took a few months off because I was tired of defrosting shrimp and removing their tails. It really isn’t that hard, but after a while it can be a pain. Once it didn’t seem daunting anymore I jumped back in, and finally discovered the two keys to making sure these burgers stick together. First, you need to use a food processor to blend the ingredients, and second, the patties need to chill in the fridge for a bit before you cook them (that key tip is from America’s Test Kitchen via The Frugal Girl).

Here’s a roundup of the top 15 paleo recipes published on A Calculated Whisk in 2015 that are also Whole30-compliant.

Happy New Year! I hope your 2016 is full of happiness, love, and plenty of food that’s fun, gorgeous, and good for you.

Do you set New Year’s resolutions? I don’t always, but this year I have a big, simple one: to take better care of myself. There are so many things I want and love to do, but I can’t do any of them well if I’m not happy, well rested, and well fed.

This past year was a hectic one for me. At the tail end of 2014, just over a year ago, Ben and I got engaged. In the first few months of 2015, I finished up the last few photographs and edits for my cookbook, which came out in November. At the end of August I completed my master’s program in speech and language pathology. One week later we got in the car (well, I got in the car and Ben and Smitty got in a U-haul truck) and drove from Boston to Chattanooga, and one week after getting here I started my new job. I’m doing speech and language therapy with kids four (extra long!) days per week, and for the other three days I’m doing as much recipe development, food photography, and writing as I can. I love both of my jobs, but they sure don’t leave me with a lot of down time. (In case you’re wondering how much wedding planning I’ve managed to squeeze in so far, the answer is none at all!)

I have a counterproductive tendency to be harder than usual on myself when there’s a lot that I need to get done. Of course, it would make much more sense to up my self-care game when the going gets tough, so that’s what I’m aiming to do in 2016. I’m starting with doing a Whole30 (read all about it here if you’re not familiar), trying to spend time exercising outside three days a week, and continuing to work on eating more vegetables (like these ones from my Big Sycamore Farm winter CSA).

If you feel like sharing, I’d love to hear about your resolutions in the comments! And if you’re doing a January Whole30, too, I’d love to connect so we can give each other moral support.

To celebrate the end of 2015 and get pumped about cooking even more healthy food at home, I dug into Google Analytics to see which of my paleo recipes from last year were the most popular. Since I’m on Day 1 of a Whole30, though, I turned a blind eye to all of the desserts and any other recipes with added sweeteners or off-plan ingredients. (Of course, you can still find all the desserts I’ve ever posted over in the recipe index–I just didn’t feel right sharing photos of treats on the first day of a squeaky-clean challenge!) This year’s roundup includes only recipes that comply with the Whole30 rules, but make sure to read the recipes carefully for notes about details like sugar-free bacon. Also, some recipes list two ingredient options, one that’s not Whole30-approved and one that is (for example, heavy cream or coconut milk).

Okay, you caught me: this recipe was actually published in 2014, but it came out in December so it didn’t have a chance to make it into last year’s roundup. Plus, it’s my most popular paleo recipe of all time! It’s perfect for winter nights and is the cheapest replacement I’ve found for a Caribbean vacation.

You’re less than 30 minutes away from this healthy paleo meal of spice-rubbed pork chops and grilled peaches served with bitter greens and avocado.

How was your weekend? Whether or not it was a long one, I hope it included lots of time spent doing your favorite things. Mine did: I spent time cooking, baking, swimming, sleeping in, and eating burgers. I couldn’t have asked for much more!

It’s been about two weeks since Ben and I moved to Chattanooga, and I’m so happy to be here. I’ve only had three full days of work so far, so it’s all felt a bit like a giant vacation. We’re staying with my future sister-in-law and her husband and my three future nieces, and they are all so much fun. The girls are eight, six, and three years old, and make me want to have my own children YESTERDAY. They love to help me cook, which is a welcome change since so often I’m alone in the kitchen.

On Friday we made chocolate pudding. I’d made the recipe before (I just substitute tapioca flour for the cornstarch to make it grain-free) and knew it only made 6 servings, but figured we could stretch it to feed 7, 3 of whom are not full grown. Right when the girls and I had finished the pudding and were looking for cute little cups to put it in, Ben announced that his parents and brother would also be joining us for dinner. That raised the total count to 10.

Faced with the fear of not enough dessert, the girls suggested another batch of these brownies (similar recipe here–omit the cinnamon and cayenne and add a handful of chocolate chips for a kid-friendly, double chocolate version). I agreed. After baking the brownies, we spread our meager stash of chocolate pudding on top like frosting, added a layer of whipped cream, and sprinkled some more chocolate chips on top for good measure. The result was something so decadent that the eight year-old, who prides herself on usually being able to eat several servings of dessert, was satisfied after just one. When it follows the fear of not enough dessert, too much dessert is a wonderful thing indeed! The pudding brownies lasted for days in the fridge and made excellent snacks throughout the weekend.

Hungry but short on time? Here are 30 easy paleo dinners that can be made in 30 minutes or less!

Anyone meal planning this weekend? I have 30 quick, flavorful, and easy paleo dinners for you to consider. Seafood, chicken, turkey, beef, and even breakfast for dinner–there’s a little bit of everything here!

This summer is a busy one for me. In addition to finishing up the last few classes for my master’s program, I’m working long days at a hospital for my final clinical externship. The last thing I want to do when I get home is spend a lot of time getting dinner ready (or worse, end up ruining my Whole30 by succumbing to the temptations of takeout). I scoured the web for tasty paleo recipes that can be made, start to finish, in 30 minutes or less, and asked some of my blogger friends to share their favorite recipes as well. Almost all of these recipes are Whole30 compliant as written, but for the ones that aren’t, I’ve noted an easy substitution for you.

Do you have a go-to quick dinner? I’d love to hear about it. Let me know in the comments!

Were you a picky eater as a kid? I was pretty much the worst. The only vegetable I would eat was broccoli, and it had to have cheese on top. Everything else I deigned to consume was white or golden brown in color: chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, french fries, and pizza without tomato sauce (read: dough with cheese). I wanted slices of American cheese melted on top of almost all my food. It was actually called “Becky cheese” over at my dad’s, where no one else ate it.

I remained picky through high school, when I invented a white pizza with broccoli and two kinds of cheese at my favorite local pizzeria. My friends and I called it “Becky pizza”, and it was fabulous (I still think something like it should be added to the menu).

I’m proud to say that things have really changed. Today I’ll try almost anything, and there are very few foods I don’t enjoy. However, until a couple of months ago, salmon was still on my “no” list. I found it too fishy, and something about its orange-pink hue didn’t sit well with me.

Recently I worked on a project where I had to make several salmon recipes. To my surprise, I ended up loving them! The key for me is to really crisp up the skin (and brown the other side as well) and serve the salmon with a flavorful sauce.

Strange coincidence: last year, on January 25th, 2014, I wrote about romanesco in a post entitled 7 Uncommon Vegetables for your Produce Bucket List. I had never seen romanesco in a store. I kept my eyes peeled for it all year, but could never find any. That is, until last Wednesday, when I finally spotted some at my local Whole Foods . . . on January 25th, 2015. Weird, right?

Coming across this gorgeous vegetable exactly one year after posting about it has me wondering if it might be magic. I mean, look at those spirals! According to Wikipedia, the number of spirals on a head of Romanesco is a Fibonacci number, and its form approximates a fractal. How is it possible that something like this exists?

In addition to its special properties, romanesco is delicious. I roasted it whole because I couldn’t bear to slice it up any sooner than I had to. Its flavor is similar to cauliflower and broccoli, but a little milder and nuttier. And, just like with cauliflower or broccoli, the browned bits are extra delicious. If you can’t find romanesco, you could definitely use one of its brassica cousins for this recipe instead.

During my Whole30, a lot of people mentioned to me that they thought it was a really great idea, and that they’d love to do it themselves . . . BUT they didn’t have the willpower, wouldn’t be able to give up cheese, couldn’t drink coffee without milk, were way too addicted to sugar, etc.

That’s interesting, because I think all of those are reasons that people SHOULD do a Whole30! A month without cheese? Sure, a tough concept for some, but in the grand scheme of things, infinitely doable. Coffee? I’m a former latte-lover who always used to drink a big mug of half milk, half coffee, and I discovered I like mine better bulletproof (with coconut oil + ghee). You never know until you try it! And sugar addicts? This program is FOR YOU, I promise. If you think you can’t “slay the sugar dragon”, think again. You can do it, and you’ll feel better, lose more weight, have more energy, and fuel your body more efficiently when you do. Plus, why not prove to yourself that you CAN go without these things if you set your mind to it? It feels great to show yourself what you can do.

It’s the very last day of my Whole30! I feel great, and I’m ready to start reintroducing some foods to see how I tolerate them, starting tomorrow with dairy.

One of the best things I learned this month is that you don’t have to sacrifice anything in terms of taste & variety when eating really healthy food. The recipes below are all things I would love to eat, and do love to eat, whether I’m in the midst of a Whole30 or not. So, while I do hope I’ll inspire you to try a Whole30 yourself, I know you’ll be able to find delicious recipes here that you’ll want to make regardless of your dietary decisions.

All of these recipes are paleo and gluten-free. Most of them are dairy-free, but some recipes do call for ghee(which is lactose-free). If you can’t have any dairy, you can substitute coconut oil or olive oil for the ghee as specified in the recipe.

Are you planning on trying a Whole30? Or maybe just giving paleo a chance? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Also, feel free to link up to your favorite Whole30 recipes in the comments below!

Guys, I am going back to school next week! Part of the reason I picked January for my Whole30 is that I knew having the first two weeks of the month off would help me get myself on track with my new eating plan before having the stress of school, work, and clinic added on. Everything has been going smoothly so far, but it’s about to get a lot harder.

The key to sticking with the Whole30 throughout a busy work week is planning and preparation. This weekend I’m planning to make big batches of a few different meals so I can bring leftovers to school for lunch, and even eat leftovers some nights for dinner if I’m too tired to cook. However, even though I occasionally enjoy a good dinner for breakfast, most mornings I want something a little more traditional.

So, today I’m sharing my plan for prepping a week of paleo breakfasts. These ideas are perfect if you’re doing a Whole30, but are also just great if you have a goal to start each day with a healthy breakfast. Most of these ideas do require you to get up and cook, but it should only take about 10 minutes, and for a nutritious & tasty breakfast, it’s worth it.

We got a lot of snow in Boston last night, and the temperatures are hovering right around zero. I’ve been staying inside and cooking up a storm, mainly testing out recipes for my review of Cooking with Coconut Oilby Elizabeth Nyland of Guilty Kitchen, which will go up this weekend. I’ve made two meals from the book so far and loved them both! Since I don’t have a brand new recipe to share today, I wanted to point you towards five paleo flavor boosters to make or buy and have on hand for an extra delicious Whole30(if you’ve never heard of a Whole30, check out yesterday’s post where I explain things briefly). Even if you’re not Whole30-ing this month, stocking your pantry with these delicious items enables you to indulge while still being healthy!

Also, guess what? I found another blogger doing a Whole30! Even though she’s across the country in Austin, I’m still so happy not to be in this alone! Stop by Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine to say hi to Ashley and see what she’s cooking. She recently posted a Paleo taco casserole with sweet potatoes that looks amazing.

1. Ghee–This stuff is amazing. No wonder Indian food is always so delicious, since almost every recipe starts with ghee! It’s easy to make your own ghee at home. It smells so good, and tastes even better. Seriously, you might want to eat it with a spoon. It’s the only kind of dairy allowed on the Whole30, and I am so glad to have it. Non Whole30ers, you should still make this! It has a much higher smoke point than butter, so you can cook with it and not worry about it burning. Also, the flavor is just superior to regular butter in every way. Best of all, ghee is free of lactose and casein, so people with dairy intolerances are often able to enjoy it.